A Student Publication of the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School • 1609 Avenue J, Brooklyn, New York • Vol 57, Issue 1 • September 2022 / 5783
Students grapple with new cell phone policy By Isaac Dweck Senior Editor
At the end of the summer, Flatbush students and parents received a surprising email detailing plans for a new cell phone policy. “Our goal is for students to be responsible about phone use in school and in their lives,” said Head of School Rabbi Beyda. The administration believes that a reduction in phone use will provide the best possible religious, educational, and social-emotional experience for students. In the email, the school claimed that students “spend much of their free time in yeshivah and on trips focused on their phones instead of the in-person interactions that are important for social development.” Additionally, it was made clear on the first
Confiscated phones piled up in the office last Friday day of school that if a student is spotted with a phone in class it will be confiscated. The school has been firm about this new policy, and many students reported teachers stressing compliance during their first classes. It has been made very clear: phones will not be permitted in classrooms. Flatbush students have reacted to this
new policy in a plethora of ways. Some students support the school’s new policy. Junior Michael Wahba believes that “the usage of phones is addicting and distracting us from our school work.” However, while Wahba held that the new rules are fair, he doubted their necessity, explaining that “the policy last year got the job done.” Robin Cohen, Secretary of the Senior Council, agreed with Wahba that the new rules are not needed. Cohen argued that in past years teachers never allowed students to play games on their phones, “so this isn’t such a dramatic change from what students are used to.” While Cohen revealed that teachers have emphatically voiced enforcement of the policy, she has
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Valedictorians might be chosen for more than just grades By David Marcus Entertainment Editor
The Yeshivah of Flatbush administration is considering a significant change to the process by which valedictorians and salutatorians are selected. The school’s current process is simple: the highest computer generated GPAs are selected, and those students have the esteemed honor of representing their grade at graduation. However, the administration has recently been considering a voting system which will go into effect in time for the class of 2024. According to Assistant Principal Rabbi Galpert, the traditional process of choosing valedictorian in Flatbush is “the two highest GPAs would be valedictorian. It had nothing to do with anything else besides their overall GPA-just a straight number.” Rabbi Galpert said that the administration is discussing a potential change in the selection process because, “as we are moving on and thinking about what the Yeshivah of Flatbush should be, it’s not just about
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numbers or grades. We’re much more than a number.” Additionally, he said that the principals have looked at many other schools that “have various ways they choose valedictorian, and most don’t go solely by the highest GPA.” He continued, “We are considering different methods. Possibly a selection from the students themselves where they would decide who they’d like to be represented by. It can also be a committee of administrators and teachers who select that person; it could be a combination of both.” The current system does not weigh averages or recognize the difficulty of the classes that a student takes, which means that a student who takes many AP classes can finish behind a student with a slightly higher average who takes no AP classes. 2023 valedictorian candidate Moselle Goldstein stated that there are significant problems with the current system. “They should definitely weigh the averages so that it makes the grades more balanced.” Goldstein also sees potential problems
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occurring should a voting system be implemented. She feels strongly that voting shouldn’t fully determine the valedictorian, but rather guide the administration in choosing the right person. Some students have pointed out that the proposed new method comes with the risk that the valedictorian selection turns into a popularity contest. “However, we are not necessarily opposed to that,” stated Rabbi Galpert. “We want the person chosen to best represent the grade.” Emma Dayan, a potential 2024 valedictorian, may be heavily impacted by these changes. Dayan offered another way to do it: “Choose one valedictorian based on GPA, and the other should be a representative chosen by the students.” This allows for a compromise between the traditional method and new proposal of choosing valedictorian. Dayan said that she can agree with both systems “as long as students who worked hard are recognized.”
Most students excited for midsemester testing week By Jacqueline Halabi Junior Editor
As the school year kicks off on full speed, the students and faculty have been adjusting to the switch from the usual testing calendar to a testing week roughly in the middle of each semester. The general consensus between both the teachers and students has been overwhelmingly positive. The decision to switch from the usual to these testing weeks was inspired by one of this year’s themes, fairness. “We wanted to make sure that students have clear understandings of where chunks of learning are, so we decided to have six weeks of learning and then a formal assessment afterward,” Rabbi Galpert explained. “These are not finals, they might not be cumulative, but they are tests, so they are 50 minutes long. However, we are giving 75 minutes to complete the exam, so everybody gets extra time. We want these tests to be about not just how fast you can answer the questions, but how best you can answer the questions,” Rabbi Galpert concluded. “The rigor is not going down. It’s just more equitable and fair and also a lighter burden, I would say.” Most students are delighted with the change. “It’s so much less pressure on me,” junior Danielle Ashear stated. Senior Lydia Ezon added, “I’m personally very excited about it. I think it’ll make every six weeks more chilled and relaxed, and I’ll be able to focus more on my classes.” Many teachers believe that, by reducing stress for students, the testing weeks will create a calmer learning environment, which will be useful to more accurately check in on how each student is doing. “I’m hopeful, I’m interested to see how it works, and I believe that it will reduce stress for students and possibly even for teachers,” history teacher Mr. Engel stated. As for creating smaller assessments in between testing weeks, Jewish History chair Ms. Wielgus explained, “In terms of my own work, I don’t think I’m giving more homework, but I am trying to figure
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